TWISTED & BROKEN
by skyeblue91
Summary: The summer after graduation is over. Everyone's off at college, leaving Damon behind to protect the recently resurrected Jeremy. However, things start to go all wrong when he finds out Stefan has been double crossed by Silas. Is anyone safe? Will he and Elena make it in their relationship. Is a new girl in town going to turn everything upside down? DAMON POV. AU SEASON 5
1. Intro

Twisted & Broken

A story of Damon & Elena, and everything and everyone in between.

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. I just love Vampire Diaries. This is an AU version of the TV series taking place during season 5. Hope you enjoy. Please review. That is all.

**Written by SkyeBlue91**

The mist in Damon's mind fogged his every thought. Nothing made sense in his dreams, which lately, have been all the same; Stefan, sitting alone in the library. He held a glass of bourbon in one hand, and looked longingly out at the sunlight, as if he'd take them in forever for the risk of never seeing sunlight again was ever looming. To be honest, he looked like a man facing death. He'd actually grown to seem to accept it the last couple of dreams, as if a dream could even evolve. Yeah, Damon was losing it.

Damon took a few steps into the entrance, and squinted through the sunlight at his younger brother's image. **"Uhm, so, this seems to be a regular thing for us. You leave town, and we start spending time in dreams. But not just anyone's dreams. Only mine. It's starting to get creepy. Really, you need to stop this."** Stefan let a dull chuckle leave him, but it was ended quickly. _"I'm just trying to enjoy what time I have left, Damon."_ Damon squinted his cerulean eyes tightly, and shifted through the light, his brother now much more visible from the shadows. **"Oh yeah… well then tell me why you're running out of time?"**

Stefan's image turned to look at him, his misty green eyes full of pain. _"I'm tired Damon. I'm tired of fighting. I'm tired of holding my breath."_ Damon frowned at that, staring down at the floor for a moment. **"Is there something I missed? You know… you should be enjoying life somewhere out there in the wilderness… but you're holding your breath instead?"** he mimicked, shrugging his shoulders expectantly. **"You make no sense, man."** He reached for the bottle, pouring himself a drink, but found his wrist encased by the ever clinching fist of Stefan, who looked very scary right now. **"Woah. Okay, not drinking yet."** He set the bottle down, and looked at his brother, who seemed panicked. _"I can't do it, Damon! You have to help me!"_ Before he could utter another word, his image mystified, and vanished, as if he was due in the morning sun, evaporating. **"Stefan?"**

Damon stood where he was, confounded beyond belief. Where in the hell had his brother gone? He turned at the sound of feet, a very sleepy, half-dressed Elena striding towards him. He'd never get over this – she was his. He finally won the girl. His confused expression hadn't quite shifted to a smile, and she caught it. Damn, she was quick. _"What's wrong, Damon?"_ she asked, her brows furrowing. He wasn't really the one to worry so much without something dramatic happening, so it made sense for her to be concerned. **"Uhm… debating on whether I should start drinking now, or later…"** he added, the later drawing out as she inched closer to him, her fingers walking up his chest. He'd already slipped into his usual attire; jeans and a black t-shirt. Smirking, he dove in for a kiss, his lips pressed against hers. _"Mmmm, too bad I've got to go to school,"_ she added, _"or I'd stay here and enjoy a few more of those kisses, Mr. Salvatore."_ Damon grinned, and watched her saunter back towards the kitchen. _"I'm grabbing a bag, and then I'm off! I have an hour to get to my first class."_

Damon sighed. College. It sucked. Especially when it meant that Elena couldn't be wrapped in his arms all day every day. He could only enjoy her so much, which pained him and his never-ending libido. **"Well, alright. Just leave me here."** He slunk down into the couch, deciding against the bourbon. He needed to talk to someone who might understand these types of dreams. Understand weird stuff like that. But who? Bonnie? Well no one had seen her, except for letters and post cards. And Stefan? Well, Stefan was not here, and Damon couldn't depend on him anymore. Stefan had to do his own thing now, and figure out who he was.

Ever since the summer and graduation, when Bonnie dropped the veil and vanquished Silas, it had been pretty easy going. No one was trying to kill Elena, no one was trying to kill Klaus. No one was trying to get even. Everything was okay. But ironically enough, okay was not okay. Damon frowned, and looked up as Elena pounced on him, her lips meeting his in goodbye. She flittered to the door, and was gone in seconds, off living her life as a teenager. Well, as much as she could do for the likes of living.

After a few minutes, the silence surrounding him became almost deafening. **"Oh seriously? Geez. Come on Damon, you're losing your touch."** Leaping off from the couch, he shot upstairs and slipped his jacket on. Blending in was a must. Before he could even begin to contemplate what he was going to do for the day, he heard the front door open. Arming himself with the nearest weapon, which happened to be a book, he made his way down the stairs. A familiar scent, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Before he could make a move, she turned the corner, her face smudged and battered. **"Holy shit."**

Katherine just about burst into tears when she found Damon, falling to the floor in front of him. **"What the hell happened to you?"** he asked, his eyes wide in confusion. This was just going to be one of those mornings. _"ELENA!"_ she screamed, glaring up at him. _"She's what happened to me! Ruining my life. Look at me! I'm HUMAN!"_ she added, staring at her hands in horror. **"Right… lay off the booze, honey."** He stood back, starting to wonder if maybe he should start drinking. It'd make this a lot easier to deal with. **"And why are you even here?"** he asked, his tone dull. He didn't really have much patience for her antics. _"Damon, think about this…"_ she began, climbing off the floor in a rather ungraceful, non-Katherine like way. _"Listen! I have blood pumping through my veins."_ Damon halted half way to his drink, and whipped around, realizing that she was talking about something that may just be true. She did have a heartbeat. And she did smell delicious.

**"What the hell?"** he asked, his eyes shooting up to her face in shock. They actually seemed to be reacting to this the same. _"She didn't tell you? Oh, well…"_ Katherine began, moving to pace around the room. It was funny now, that he was thinking about it. Elena had force-fed Katherine the cure. _"I've been running for my life. Do you even have any idea how many enemies I have? Everyone's trying to kill me!"_ Well, so much for a totally smooth summer. _"I can't hurt anything, not even a tree. And these heels are KILLING me!"_ she finally gave up pacing, and slunk down onto the nearest chair, tears brimming her eyes. _"I hate this! Damon, change me back! Please!"_ Damon frowned at her, and shook his head. **"Oh no, and miss this!? Not a chance."** Turning away from her, he took a swig of his newly poured bourbon, and sighed. **"This is far too entertaining. You, as a human?! Who would've thought?"** he asked, smirking.

Taking a seat in front of her, he laughed. **"But, I might be able to entertain you while you await a surely slow and painful death…"** Silence filled the room as she stared at him, more tears falling and ruining her usually perfect makeup. He actually felt a pang of pity for her in this state, and sighed. **"Okay, you can hide out here. But if someone tries to kill me or Elena, even once, you're dead."** It felt empowering to be able to get rid of her if he wanted to. It was about time someone thought about it. He was kind of proud of Elena, but he'd never say that out loud. **"And who's trying to kill you now anyways?"**

Katherine gave Damon an odd look, and shook her head. "_Oh, right, like you don't know."_ Damon shook his head. **"Uh, yeah. I don't know."** She paused, and then gave him a shocked expression. _"Damon, did you pay attention to anything other than Elena's body this summer?"_ He shook his head no, and smiled deviously. _"OH dear God, Damon. Yuck."_ He laughed, and then ushered her on in her story. _"Do you know where your brother is Damon?"_ Damon's expression darkened at this. _"Or where Silas is?"_ she added, her tone darker. Damon sat up straight, staring at her. **"But I figure you do? So, why don't you tell me?"** he asked, speeding across the room to slip his fingers around her throat, pinning her to the chair. Sputtering, she managed "quarry", and Damon let her go.

She gasped for air for a minute, glaring at him, and stood up in anger. _"Did you ever hear of the saying 'Don't kill the messenger'?"_ Damon smirked, and shrugged. He was really fighting the urge to snap her neck. **"Who's in the quarry, Katherine?"** She paused, and pouted her lip, rubbing at the red marks his fingers had left around her throat. _"Stefan. Stefan's at the quarry."_ It was decided. He'd go and fix this, without Elena around, so he had one less person to worry about protecting. Katherine was trouble enough. **"Well, Honey, I guess you should get a coat. We've got work to do."** Katherine frowned, and was reluctantly jerked out of her chair and towards the door.

This was definitely going to be an interesting morning.


	2. Chapter 1

Twisted & Broken

Once again, I own nothing. I just like the idea of the crazy world that is Vampire Diaries. If you don't like it, don't read it. AU DAMON / ELENA plot, mingled with other characters, mature themes, and my own insight into the story. I never held your eyes open and forced you to enjoy my version of the story. Takes place during Season 5, but with my own original twist. Thus the AU titling. Shall we start Chapter 1? I think we shall. Commence the drama! – Skye

Chapter One

The weather had quickly soured from something bright and positive to something dreary and rather drab. For starters, the rain. Damon had never particularly liked the rain. It made for great dramatics, but he personally hated being wet if he didn't _intend_ on being wet. Being out here with the now human, and very determined-to-piss-him-off Katherine didn't really help any. Standing over the cliff, looking over the small body of water, he frowned, his hair already sticking to his forehead, the wetness getting on his nerves.

**"You said he was here, Katherine."** He began, his tone quickly hinting on anger. **"So, where is he?"** Katherine wearily poised herself on the edge next to Damon, and cringed. Heights were a little scary to her now that she was human. She frowned up at Damon, pushing her own wet hair from her eyes, and shrugged. _"Look, I got a tip from someone that he was here."_ Damon gave the surface of the water yet another look, and paused. **"Where there bubbles right there, just now?"** he pointed. Leaning over, he stared down at the deep water, and watched yet another set of bubbles come to the surface. Something, or someone, was down there.

"**Well I'll be damned."** Turning to face Katherine, he smirked. **"You're good for something after all."** Katherine made a face, and began following Damon down the hill towards the road that went to the beach below. _"You know, if you actually tried to get to know me, I'm not really that bad. Even if I am human."_ Damon paused, whirling around to glare at her. **"You weren't great when you were a vampire. I bet you're just wonderful as a human. Yeah, right."** He turned again, charging down the hill with large, overly done steps. Katherine struggled to copy him, and found herself still halfway up when he was already at the bottom. _"You know, you could've just carried me…"_ she wined, frowning down at him. Damon glared back. **"This is pathetic. You're even more annoying now than before, if that's remotely even possible."**

He threw out his arms in exasperation, and shook his head, eyes turned towards the raining sky. **"And, you're going to get pneumonia. Me, nope. Just you." **She gave up her battle and began her descent, slow and painful for a vampire with Damon's level of patience. When she finally reached the bottom, he was damn near pissed. **"Seriously? Geez."** They reached his car, the cool blue color standing out amongst the continuous yellow and grey color of the weeds on the sides of the road. Slipping into his car, he waited on Katherine, and then started the engine. The short drive seemed like it took a lifetime, and every second made Damon more and more nervous.

What happened if he got his brother out, and everything went back to the way it used to be, before he got the girl. Before Silas had tried to destroy everything. What if it didn't stay the way Damon liked it. Deep down inside, even though it went against everything he knew was right, Damon didn't _want_ his brother back. But he knew there were people who would never forgive him if he knew the truth and didn't try to fix it. People who would hate him. People who would push him away. And that, he couldn't live with. Rather to have Stefan around than to have him gone and his current life ruined.

After reaching the bottom of the trail, he parked the car, and killed the engine. **"Okay. No matter what happens, we are going to do everything we can to take care of Stefan. No matter what, you understand me?"** Katherine nodded slowly, her dark eyes fixated on Damon's face, as if he was a total stranger. They both got out of the car, and began walking to the edge of the water. At least the rain had stopped. Slipping out of his jacket, he tossed it to Katherine. **"Don't lose that, please. It's my favorite one."** Katherine hugged it to herself, and then wrapped it around her, trying to shield herself from the oncoming chill.

He slowly began to enter the water, wading in until his feet couldn't touch the bottom anymore. Slipping his head under the water, he gave a quick look around, but didn't see anything. **"I'm going to swim over by the cliff…"** he began, glancing back at Katherine, who was pacing the shoreline. He started swimming, and within a minute or so, had reached the water near the cliff. The bubbles made another appearance just as he was about to turn away, and he took his chance, and dove, following the remaining bubble trail down.

Sure enough, there lay a safe, slightly buried in silt at the bottom of the lake. He paused, his mind taking in all possible points to what could be waiting for him in the safe. Not taking any more chances, he dove deeper, and began to try to pry the door off. He wasn't as strong as he used to be, not using his skills and strength like he should. He struggled against it, grunting under the water, releasing bubbles of his own. The safe finally budged slightly, and the metal gave way under the pressure of the water, busting the lock open. A rush of bubbles erupted around Damon, sending him back a few feet. He regained his balance in the water, and watched a shadowy form break the surface, and start towards the shore.

Katherine.

Damon pressed his heels into the bottom of the lake, and shot up after Stefan, following him to the surface, which he broke rather un-stealthily. **"Stefan!"** he shouted, following his brothers wake in the water. **"Don't touch her."** A starving Stefan and a non-vampire Katherine would be a bad combo. At the sight of Stefan arriving at the shore, Katherine had took off for the car, hoping it would provide some type of protection. However, Stefan was not a literal threat right now, and Damon witnessed him collapse into the wet sand. **"Shit…"** He swam to the shore, and jogged to his brother, who lay panting in the shallows. _"Damon?"_ he asked, his voice broken. Stefan was starved, angry, and confused. **"It's okay, man. Just relax. We're going to get the bastard back. No worries."** He lifted Stefan from the water, and began walking towards the car. Katherine cowered behind the car, watching. **"Open the door!"** Damon barked, and she complied, after which he laid Stefan into the back seat.

"**We have to get him home. N-ow"**

Before Damon could properly finish his sentence, he'd been ripped away from the door of the car and tossed a good ten feet, which surprised him. Before him stood the living copy of his brother Stefan, and everyone's sworn enemy. **"Silas."** Katherine shuddered, and cowered next to Stefan. Spotting the keys, she began climbing quietly into the driver's seat. Silas took a few steps towards Damon, his eyes full of malice. _"Oh, look what you found. Too bad you can't keep it."_ He added, and chuckled. Damon laughed. **"Yeah, and who's going to stop me?"** he asked, a smirk curling his mouth up.

Silas shrugged. _"Me? And this?"_ he added, pulling a roughly carved stake from his back pocket. He came at Damon, slamming the wooden weapon into the sand. Damon rolled away, and got to his feet, ready to fight. Before he could act, the front of his car slammed into Silas, sending him to the ground hard. _"Get in!"_ Katherine could always drive, and she's always been a bitch. He'd never thought of putting something like that past her. He dove into the passenger's seat, and they shot off into the brush, leaving Silas to figure out his own plans of revenge. Which weren't going to be pretty.


End file.
